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Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

These Christmas gooey butter cookies are soft, chewy, and made with just a few simple ingredients. They’re a festive treat perfect for holiday cookie swaps or cozy gatherings.

Pile of Christmas gooey butter cookies with red and green sprinkles.

Easy Gooey Butter Cookie Recipe

These delicious cookies are a fun twist on the classic gooey butter cake but in cookie form! The cream cheese makes them super soft, and they’re one of my favorite cake mix cookie bases; in fact, my strawberry kiss cookies also have the same base.

I like throwing in some colorful sprinkles for the holidays to make them extra festive. They’re ridiculously easy to make, which is why I always turn to them for holiday cookie exchanges or whenever I need a quick treat. 

Stack for four gooey butter cookies with Christmas sprinkles.

Ingredients

  • Cream cheese – Makes the cookies soft and adds a gooey texture.
  • Unsalted butter – Adds richness and a melt-in-your-mouth texture.
  • Egg – Binds the ingredients and adds structure.
  • Vanilla extract – Enhances the cookie’s flavor.
  • Yellow cake mix – The quick and easy base of the cookies.
  • Powdered sugar – Creates a sweet, crackly coating.
  • Christmas sprinkles – Add a festive holiday touch.
Ingredients such as yellow cake mix, cream cheese, butter, egg, vanilla, powdered sugar, and sprinkles displayed in bowls.

Making the Cookies

  1. Prep – Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  2. Mix the wet ingredients – In a large bowl, beat the softened cream cheese, butter, egg, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
  3. Add the cake mix – Stir in the cake mix until a thick, sticky dough dough forms.
Collage showing four steps to mix the base cookie dough.
  1. Fold in the sprinkles – Gently fold in holiday sprinkles. Be careful not to overmix so the color of the sprinkles doesn’t bleed into the dough.
  2. Chill – Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
  3. Roll the dough – Scoop the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll them in powdered sugar until fully coated.
  4. Bake – Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
  5. Cool – Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Collage showing two steps to add the sprinkles to the dough and two steps to roll and bake the cookies.

Variations and substitutions

Different cake mixes – Swap the yellow cake mix for vanilla or white cake mix.

Add extracts – Try almond or peppermint extract instead of vanilla for a holiday twist.

Mix-ins – Fold in mini chocolate chips or crushed candy canes along with the sprinkles for extra flavor.

Color the dough – Add a few drops of red or green gel food coloring to the dough for a festive look, or split the dough in half and color each portion to make both colors.

Skip the sprinkles – If you’re not a fan of sprinkles, you can leave them out. Of course, if you do this, the cookies will be just Gooey Butter Cookies, not Christmas ones.

Sanding sugar – Roll the cookie dough in colored sanding sugar instead of powdered sugar for a fun, festive appearance.

Gooey butter cookies with red and green sprinkles piled on the counter.

Tips for Success

  • Use full-fat brick cream cheese – For the best results, use full-fat brick-style cream cheese. Avoid the spreadable kind, as it can make the dough too soft.
  • Room temperature ingredients – Make sure the butter and cream cheese are softened to room temperature before mixing to ensure a smooth dough.
  • Don’t overbake – The cookies should still look slightly soft in the center when you take them out of the oven. They’ll firm up as they cool.
  • Evenly space the dough balls – Place the dough balls at least 2 inches apart on the baking sheet to allow for spreading.
  • Roll thoroughly in powdered sugar – Make sure the dough balls are well-coated in powdered sugar for the best crackled look after baking.
Stack of gooey butter Christmas cookies with a bite missing from the top cookie.

How to store the cookies

Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.

The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Gooey butter cookies with red, green and white sprinkles arranged on a piece of parchment paper.

Looking for more Christmas cookies?

These are some of my favorite recipes.

Did you love these Christmas ooey gooey butter cookies? Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Stack of four gooey butter Christmas cookies with a bite missing from the top cookie.

Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies

Author: Mandy
These Christmas Gooey Butter Cookies are a festive take on a classic cake mix cookie. With a soft, melt-in-your-mouth texture thanks to the cream cheese, they’re easy to make and perfect for holiday cookie exchanges. Add sprinkles for a Christmas touch that everyone will love.
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 32 Cookies
Calories 103 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 8 ounces full-fat cream cheese softened
  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 (15.25 ounce) box of yellow cake mix
  • 1/2 cup holiday sprinkles
  • 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
  • In a large bowl, beat together the softened cream cheese, butter, egg, and vanilla extract with an electric mixer until smooth.
  • Stir in the cake mix until a thick dough forms.
  • Gently fold in holiday sprinkles, being careful not to overmix so the color of the sprinkles doesn’t bleed into the dough.
  • Chill the dough for at least 30 minutes to make it easier to handle.
  • Scoop out the dough into 1 1/2-inch balls and roll them in powdered sugar until fully coated.
  • Place the dough balls on the prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart, and bake for 10-12 minutes, until the edges are set but the centers still look slightly soft.
  • Let the cookies cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Notes

  • Store the cookies in a single layer in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days.
  • The cookies can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight container or freezer bag. Thaw at room temperature before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 103kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 2gFat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.2gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 151mgPotassium: 29mgFiber: 0.2gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 101IUCalcium: 55mgIron: 0.3mg

Disclaimer: Nutrition information is estimated based on automated calculations and should be considered as an approximation. These estimates are provided as a courtesy. Please use your own brand’s nutritional values to verify accuracy.

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